"Alright. This month is Fallout's 25th birthday in my universe, so we'll be continuing with the Fallout universe" said Luke.

It showed Izuku and Todoroki arriving at Tsu's home in Diamond City after killing Bakugo.

"Well, well, Shoto Todoroki walks into my office for a change" said Tsu.

"What can I say, Tsu? You, me, and hard luck all seem to run together like acid rain down and old sewer" said Todoroki.

"You, uh, including your client here in that analogy?" said Tsu before turning her attention to Izuku.

"So, you two are finally letting me in on this little case of yours. What's the story?" Tsu asked.

"We need help, Tsu. This man named Bakugo kidnapped my son, but that wasn't all. He was working with the Institute. He... he gave them Toshi" said Izuku.

"The Institute? Hoo boy. I've been investigating these creeps for over a year now. The Commonwealth's boogeyman. Feared and hated by everyone" said Tsu.

"True enough" said Todoroki.

"Sometimes they snatch people in the middle of the night. And sometimes they leave old synths behind to remind us that they're out there. But to this day, there's one thing nobody really knows" Tsu said.

"Where the Institute actually is. Or how to get in" said Todoroki.

"Exactly. But there's one person who must know, right? The guy who just handed them Toshi" said Tsu.

"Bakugo. Huh..." said Todoroki.

"Man like that would've had access. In and out" said Izuku.

"But we both know that angle isn't going to work" said Todoroki.

"Because Deku snapped my fucking neck" said Bakugo.

"Because he's dead" said Izuku.

"So a murderer and a kidnapper gets his brains blown out by an avenging parent" Tsu said before sighing, "It'd be a great ending if we didn't still have the biggest mystery in the Commonwealth to solve" said Tsu.

"He wasn't gonna talk. Even if I had a way of bringing him in alive" said Izuku.

"'Gets his brains blown out.' Huh... His brains. You know, we may not need the man at all" said Todoroki.

"You're talking crazy here, Shoto. Got a... fault in the ole' subroutines?" asked Tsu.

"Look, there's a place in Goodneighbor called the Memory Den. Relive the past moments in your mind as clear as the day they happened. If anyone can get a dead brain to sing, it'll be Doctor Shuzenji, the mind behind the memories" said Todoroki.

"Who's Doctor Shuzenji? She sounds like she'd exist in our universe as well" said Izuku.

"It's me. Shuzenji's my last name. Don't go telling other people that" said Recovery Girl.

"Who's this Doctor Shuzenji?" asked Izuku.

"I'll let her give you her life story in person. Let's stay focused. Hmm... I guess we're going to need a piece of Bakugo's brain. Enough gray matter to bring to Shuzenji and find out if this is gonna work" said Todoroki.

"Jesus, Shoto. Gross! Seriously?" said Tsu in disgust.

"I know it's grisly, but what choice do we have? We got no leads. Nothing. That old merc's brain just might have all the secrets we need to know" said Todoroki.

"Actually, I think I already have something. Bakugo had this... thing attached to his head" said Izuku as he held up one of the pieces of technology he got from Bakugo's body.

"Cybernetics, huh? We may have just won the lottery" said Todoroki.

"Whether we're riding this crazy brain train or not, we can't all go running across the Commonwealth. So, who's coming with who?" asked Tsu.

"I have to go to the Memory Den either way, if I'm gonna introduce you to Shuzenji. But if you want to head there together, just say so" said Todoroki.

"Anything else you can tell me about the Memory Den?" asked Izuku.

"It's in Goodneighbor. A little slice of trouble Northeast a ways. The Memory Den ain't just a fancy name. It's literal. A lot of people give up all their caps just to relive the good parts of their lives. Over and over. But not us. We're gonna try to dive deep into someone else's mind. I can meet you there, or we can head out together" said Todoroki.

"It's you and me, Shoto" said Izuku.

"Let's get going. Don't worry. We're gonna get your boy back. Just a few more steps" said Todoroki.

"While you two are out, I'm gonna do some more research. I'll be here if you need me" said Tsu.

Instead, Izuku sent Tsu back to the Truck Stop, then he and Todoroki headed to Goodneighbor.

About an hour later, they arrived. Goodneighbor was what was left of the old State House and a few other places.

There was man near the main entrance who stopped them.

"Well, well, well, it's the detective. Tracking down another wayward husband to his mistress?" asked the man as he smoked a cigarette.

"Why, someone stand you up?" asked Todoroki.

"Tryin' that, what d'ya cal it? Evasive language, on me?" asked the man before turning his attention to Izuku.

"And who are you, huh? Todoroki's new dick-in-training?" he asked Izuku.

"We're hiring, but, uh, I don't think you'd... measure up" Izuku joked.

"Don't be like that. You just got the look of someone who's in the market for a little insurance" said the man.

"Unless it's 'keep-dumb-assholes-away-from-me' insurance, I'm not interested" said Izuku.

"Now don't be like that. I think you're gonna like what I have on offer. You hand over everything you got in them pockets, or 'accidents' start happenin' to ya. Big bloody, 'accidents'" said the man.

"Whoa, whoa. Time out" said a voice.

Suddenly, a ghoul dressed up like he was from colonial times approached them.

"Shoto Todoroki makes a rare visit to town, and you're hassling his friend here with that extortion crap?" said the ghoul.

"Good to see you again, Shoto" said the ghoul.

"Hancock" said Todoroki.

"That's this universe's Sero. In it he's a ghoul who goes by the name of John Hancock. He's also mayor of Goodneighbor" said Luke.

"What d'you care? He ain't one of us" said the man.

"No love for your mayor, Finn? I said let 'em go" said Sero.

"You're soft, Hancock. You keep letting outsiders walk all over us, one day there'll be a new mayor" said the man, now revealed to be named Finn.

"Come on, man. This is me we're talking about. Let me tell you something" said Sero as he got closer to Finn.

Sero looked like he was about to hug Finn, but then he pulled out a knife and stabbed him twice instead.

"Now why'd you have to go and say that, huh? Breaking my heart over here" Sero said to Finn's lifeless corpse on the ground.

"You alright, brother?" Sero asked Izuku.

"You killed him" said Izuku.

"Got a good pair of eyes on ya. I think you'll fit in here. Goodneighbor's of the people, for the people, you feel me? Everyone's welcome" said Sero.

"Goodneighbor? That what you call this place?" Izuku said.

"That's right. We cobbled this little neighborhood together out of the freaks and misfits who just wouldn't be accepted anywhere else. You'll see. You make enough friends here, you'll call this place home soon enough. So long as you remember who's in charge" said Sero before walking away.

After that, Izuku talked to some of the shop owners in the area, then he and Todoroki headed to the Memory Den. They entered the building and approached a blonde woman sitting on a long chair.

"Well, well, Mr. Todoroki. I thought you had forgotten about little ole' me" said the woman.

"May have walked out on the Den, Irma, but I'd never walk out on you" said Todoroki.

"Hmph. Shuzenji's downstairs, you big flirt" said Irma.

Momo felt jealousy again.

Izuku looked around the room and saw large pods of some sort which he assumed were the devices people used to relive memories. Some of them had people using them, but one of them had what looked like the man from Diamond City and Bunker Hill sitting in it.

"It's that guy again!" said Toru.

The Detective Duo went downstairs and saw two more pods, plus Recovery Girl using a terminal.

"Doctor Shuzenji?" said Todoroki.

"Yes? I take it this isn't a social call?" said Recovery Girl as she stopped using the terminal and turned to face them.

"Doctor. It's time for you to reverse death itself!" said Izuku.

"What?!" said Recovery Girl.

"Is he seriously making jokes at a time like this?" said Recovery Girl.

Todoroki sighed.

"I wouldn't have put it quite that way, but it's true. We need a dead man's memories. Guy named Bakugo" said Todoroki.

"Are you two mad?! Putting aside the fact that you're asking me to defile a corpse, you do realize that the memory simulators require intact, LIVING brains to function?" said Recovery Girl.

"Please. Shoto told me you're the only one who could make this work" said Izuku.

"This dead brain had inside knowledge of the Institute, Shuzenji. The biggest scientific secret of the Commonwealth. You need this, and so do we" said Todoroki.

Recovery Girl sighed.

"Fine. I'll take a look, but no guarantees. Do you... have it with you?" Recovery Girl asked.

"Here's... what I could find" said Izuku as he handed Recovery Girl the piece of tech from Bakugo's brain.

"What's this? This isn't a brain! This is... wait. That's the hippocampus! And this thing attached to it. A neural interface?" said Recovery Girl.

"Those circuits look awfully familiar" said Todoroki.

"I'm not surprised. From what I've seen, all Institute technology has a similar architecture" said Recovery Girl.

"Go on, doctor" said Izuku.

"Mr. Todoroki is an older generation synth. But, Institute technology being what it is... The brain implant could fit him. But that's... an incredible risk to take. We're talking about wiring something to his brain" said Recovery Girl.

"Don't worry about me, Shuzenji. I'm well past the warranty date, anyway" said Todoroki.

"I appreciate this, Shoto" said Izuku.

"You can thank me when we've found your son. Alright. Let's do this" said Todoroki.

"Whenever you're ready, Mr. Todoroki. Just sit down" said Recovery Girl.

"If I start cackling like an old, grizzled mercenary, pull me out, ok?" said Todoroki as he sat down.

"Let's see here" said Recovery Girl as she attempted to attack the hippocampus to the back of Todoroki's head.

"I need you to keep talking to me, Mr. Todoroki. Any slight change in your cognitive functions could be dire. Are you... feeling any different?" asked Recovery Girl.

"A lot of flashes, static, I- I- I can't make sense of any of it, doc" said Todoroki.

"That's what I was afraid of. The mnemonic impressions are encoded" said Recovery Girl as she stopped working on Todoroki.

"It appears the Institute has one last failsafe. There's a lock on the memories in the implant" Recovery Girl said.

"How do you lock memories?" Izuku asked.

"The implant is encoding all the mnemonic activity in the hippocampus. Think of it like... computer encryption. And we don't have the password. Let's see... a single mind wouldn't be able to crack it, but... what if we used two? We load both you and Mr. Todoroki into the memory loungers. Run your cognitive functions in parallel. He'll act as a host while your consciousness drives you through whatever memories we can find" explained Recovery Girl.

"Any idea what I'm gonna see in there?" asked Izuku.

"I have no clue, but considering we only have a single piece of medial temporal lobe, and not the whole brain, I doubt it'll be... cohesive" said Recovery Girl.

"Alright. Let's get started" said Izuku.

"Just sit down over there. And... keep your fingers crossed" said Recovery Girl.

"See you on the other side" said Todoroki before sitting in one memory pod.

"They're gonna see my memories? Not anything embarrassing, right?" asked Bakugo.

"No. But there's gonna be some other depressing stuff" said Luke.

Izuku sat in the memory pod and it closed, then he looked at the screen in his face that said 'PLEASE STAND BY.'

"Initiating brain-wave migration between the transplant and the host. Mnemonic activity coming from the transplant! It's degenerated, but it's there! We're going to load you into the strongest memories we can find. They might not be stable. Just hold on!" said Recovery Girl.

Everything went white, and Izuku was now in the place in the picture at the top of the page. He was standing on top of a bridge made of what looked like neurons.

"Can you hear me? Ah, good. The simulation appears to be working, although the memories are quite fragmentary. I'll step you through the intact memories, and hope we can find one that gives us some clue to the Institute's location" said Recovery Girl from outside the pod.

A bridge of neurons then formed which lead to a memory. It appeared to be a floating room. Izuku approached it.

"Remember, you are experiencing these memories as Bakugo. This may prove disorienting at first" said Recovery Girl before Izuku entered the memory.

Once he entered the memory, he saw Bakugo as a child, no older than ten, sitting on his bed wearing pajamas while looking at some old comic books. His mother was sitting in a chair next to him while reading a book and listening to the radio.

"Turn down that goddamn radio! I'm trying to sleep!" shouted Masaru from another room.

"What's with my temper?" asked Masaru.

Izuku interacted with child Bakugo first. When he did time froze in the memory.

"I was such a dummy back then. What did I know about how the world worked? I think now she wanted me to kill him. I should have. Instead I ended up running away. I told myself I wanted to find somewhere out from under the thumb of the NCR and all their rules. But really, I was running from the guilt of not protecting her from Dad. Doesn't matter now, though" Izuku heard Bakugo's voice say.

"Wait, why would Katsuki need to protect Mitsuki from me?" asked Masaru.

Izuku interacted with Mitsuki next and time froze once again.

"Mom knew how it was. She wasn't soft but, uh... she loved me in her way. And she protected me from Dad. That cost her more than a few beatings. I never knew what happened to her after I left. I didn't want to know. Not then" Bakugo said.

Masaru, Mitsuki, Katsuki, and many others were shocked.

"I... beat my wife?" Masaru said in horror.

"In this universe you did. But it's another version of you. Just because this variant of you hurt your wife and son doesn't mean you would" said Luke.

Izuku interacted with the radio next.

"People always hoping for something better. They usually end up with something worse" Bakugo's voice said.

"Hmph. What a joke" said Mitsuki as she listened to the radio.

"What's it mean, Mom?" asked Katsuki.

"Nothing, Katsuki. People like to talk and hope someone else is going to keep them safe" said Mitsuki.

"Teacher at school said the NCR would bring back the good old days. Like before the big war" said Katsuki.

"Don't you listen to that twaddle. I'm going to stop sending you if that's what they're teaching you" said Mitsuki.

"I'm going out! Where the fuck did you put my boots?!" shouted Masasu from the other room.

Izuku interacted with the door that lead to Masaru's room.

"Dad was either drunk or not around. I guess he must have run with one of the raider gangs, but... I never really knew what he did. Don't know why Mom was with him. Maybe at some point in his life he wasn't a complete asshole" Bakugo's voice said.

"Listen to me, Katsuki. You take this. You're old enough" said Mitsuki as she pulled out a revolver and handed it to Katsuki. Izuku recognized it as the gun he killed Ochako with. It had a different barrel and grip in this memory, but Izuku recognized it anywhere.

"You're the man of the family now. It's your job to protect us. Your father's useless. But you won't turn out like him. You're a good boy. And all that on the radio - all useless talk. The only thing that will protect you in this world is that gun in your hands. You need to learn to use it if you're going to survive" said Mitsuki.

"I... I will, Mom. I promise. I won't let you down" said Katsuki as he aimed the gun.

"You've always been my good boy" said Mitsuki.

Katsuki and Mitsuki then faded away and the room became dark. The memory was over.

"This doesn't seem to be what we're looking for. There appears to be another intact memory close to you in temporal sequence... there. Try that one" said Recovery Girl as another neuron bridge formed.

Izuku walked across it and it lead to another memory. This time it was Bakugo as a young adult with Camie. They were in what looked like a kitchen of a house doing some dishes. Izuku looked out the windows and saw the Golden Gate Bridge, then interacted with it.

"I thought San Francisco was my chance to start fresh. I was the hot shit, the gunslinger from the Hub, rolling into town with the world at my feet. Everybody knew I was the one shot shot Valdez, and I could write my own ticket to any outfit in town. It all worked out pretty damn well... for a while" Bakugo's voice said.

The memory resumed.

"It's gonna be fine. You'll see" said Bakugo.

Izuku interacted with Camie next and the memory froze again.

"I was the worst thing that ever happened to her. If she'd never met me, she'd have stayed in the Hub, maybe hooked up with someone who didn't kill people for a living. Probably been happier than she was with me. Almost certainly lived longer" Bakugo narrated.

The memory resumed.

"But we don't know anybody here, and now with the baby..." said Camie.

Izuku was confused when she said baby but then he heard small babbling noises. He turned and saw a nearby crib and looked in it. Laying in the crib was a baby girl... Katsumi.

Many people were shocked that even this version of Bakugo, a cold blooded killer, had a family like Izuku did.

Izuku interacted with Katsumi next.

"Whatever made me think that a guy like me should have a daughter... No. I never deserved her. Not for one second" Bakugo narrated.

"Come on, Camie, you've got to give it a chance" said Bakugo as he stopped doing dishes and walked over to Camie.

"I've finally got steady work with a good outfit. Nothing like that in the NCR these days" Bakugo said.

"I'm not saying this was a mistake. I- I'm just..." said Camie as she stopped doing dishes, walked over to a nearby table, and sat down in front of it.

"Are you sure these guys know what they're doing? They seem kind of... green" said Camie in worry.

"I know. But that's where I come in. Just wait. In a few years I'll be running my own crew, as soon as I make the connections I need. Then I can give you anything you want. And little Katsumi, too" said Bakugo.

"I never worried about you before. Must be my mama instincts kicking in. Who knew I had those, huh?" said Camie.

"Come on. You're great with her. And you don't need to worry about me. Most of it's just running security for the Shi. A lot of standing around looking tough" said Bakugo.

"They sure picked the right person for that job" said Camie.

"Listen. It's gonna be great here" said Bakugo before pulling out his revolver. This time it looked exactly identical to how it did in the present day.

"See this? This is what's gonna keep you and Katsumi safe. I promise" said Bakugo before putting the revolver away.

Izuku decided to interact with Bakugo in this memory next.

"The thing about happiness is you only know you had it... when it's gone. I mean, you may think to yourself that you're happy. But, uh, you don't really believe it. You focus on the petty bullshit, or next job, or whatever. It's only looking back, by comparison with that comes after, that you really understand... that's what happiness felt like" Bakugo narrated.

"Deep words" said Kirishima.

"I know, Katsuki. I'm sure we're gonna be really happy here" said Camie.

"We are. You'll see" said Bakugo.

Katsumi then began crying in her crib.

"No, it's ok. I got her" Bakugo told Camie.

The people then disappeared as the memory ended.

"Let's keep looking. I'll connect you to the next intact memory" said Recovery Girl.

Izuku walked across another neuron bridge, this one lead to a memory of Bakugo walking down a hallway - all armored up and carrying an assault rifle.

"How did you think this was gonna end, Bakugo?" an unknown voice narrated.

The voices chuckled. "You thought you could just fuck with us, and we wouldn't fuck with you? Just so you know - they died like dogs. And you... weren't there to help them" said the voice as Bakugo then arrived at a door, loaded up his rifle, then kicked open the door and started shooting at people who weren't shown in the memory. Then the memory ended.

"It's unclear. But apparently Bakugo tried to double-cross some people, my guess is the Shi, and they killed Camie and Katsumi for it" said Luke.

People were even more shocked now. This Bakugo also had a woman he loved and an infant child who were taken from him, and he sought revenge, just like Izuku did with Bakugo.

"I've found another memory to try. I'll connect you" said Recovery Girl.

Izuku went across the neuron bridge and it lead to Bakugo, now with the scar over his eye, sitting at a table in what looked like a bar. There were two men standing in front of him and a woman nearby who Izuku guessed was the bartender since she was manning the counter.

"Hey, look, Bakugo has the scar now" said Mina.

"He must've gotten it when he was trying to kill the people who killed Camie and Katsumi" said Momo.

"Mind if we... sit down?" one of the men asked Bakugo.

"Suit yourself" said Bakugo.

Izuku interacted with the Bakugo in this memory.

"I didn't care where I was going. Ended up mostly wandering east. Getting as far away from San Francisco as I could, maybe" Bakugo narrated.

Izuku interacted with the bartender next.

"I don't remember much from that time. It all kinda... blends together. There was almost always a bar, though. That's universal" narrated Bakugo.

Izuku then watched the two men sit down in front of Bakugo and decided to interact with one of them.

"There was always a job for someone like me. It didn't matter what it was. Didn't matter who I was supposed to kill. I got pretty good at it" Bakugo narrated.

Izuku then interacted with the other man.

"There was always someone that wanted someone else dead. Sometimes just roughed up, but, uh, dead was usually what they wanted. Sometimes they thought they could cheat me. That was usually only when I first arrived somewhere. Didn't matter to me. I just took it as part of the job. A little extra thrown in for free. I always got paid in the end, one way or another" narrated Bakugo.

"So, um, I hear you'll take care of other people's... problems. Is that right?" asked one of the men.

"If you pay me" Bakugo responded.

"Oh, we'll pay you" said the other man.

"And, uh, you'll do this all by yourself?" asked the first man.

"That's right" said Bakugo.

"We pay you when the job's done, is that ok?" asked the first man.

"If that's the way you wanna do it. So who do you want dead?" Bakugo asked.

"Well, it's like this. There's this family, lives down the creek a ways" said the first man.

People were disgusted that Bakugo was killing people, even families, for money.

The memory ended.

"Well, we seem to be getting closer. Try this next one" Recovery Girl said.

Izuku crossed the neuron bridge and it lead to a memory of Bakugo in a room of some sort with a woman in a white, futuristic looking uniform, and three Gen 1 synth with her.

"Mr. Bakugo. I'm glad you decided to meet with me" said the woman.

"So, you're with the Institute. I wanted to see for myself if you really existed" said Bakugo while he smoked a cigarette.

Izuku interacted with this memory's Bakugo.

"I finally ended up in the Commonwealth. I kinda ran out of road, plus... I'd come to terms with life. I wasn't gonna be stupid enough to get mixed up with caring about other people again. It was just me against the world. And the world had it coming" Bakugo narrated.

Izuku interacted with the woman from the Institute next.

"You heard all sorts of rumors about the Institute, but I figured they were just a convenient boogeyman for anything bad that ever happened. They were real, alright, but they didn't know anything about operating on the surface. Relied on their synths for everything. They had the resources I needed, and I had the expertise they needed. Turned into a permanent arrangement, which suited me just fine" narrated Bakugo.

"We, do, as you can see" said the Institute woman.

Izuku then interacted with one of the synths.

"The first generation synths weren't all that impressive. I'm good, but I'm not that good. But the Institute could always make more, and kept making them better each time. They still give me the creeps, but... you have to get used to 'em if you wanna work with the Institute" Bakugo narrated.

"What do you want?" Bakugo asked the woman.

"It's come to my attention that you've been rather disruptive of our operations lately. This must stop" said the woman.

"I do what people pay me to do. If that's a problem for you, I can see only one way out" said Bakugo.

"And what's that, Mr. Bakugo?" the woman asked.

"If I'm working for you, there's no more problem. From what I hear, you can afford me" said Bakugo.

"I don't think you fully understand the situation you're in" said the woman.

"I think I do" said Bakugo.

"Very well" said the woman before turning her attention to one of the synths.

"B7-48, initiate" she said to the synth.

The three synths were about to attack Bakugo, but Bakugo grabbed one synth and shot the other two in the head. Then he let go of the synth he was holding, kicked it in the knee so it dropped to one knee, and shot the synth in the head.

"Damn. That's some quick reaction time with a gun" said Snipe.

"Hmm. Impressive. We may have something to talk about after all" the woman said.

The memory ended.

"Getting warmer. One of these has got to tell us something" said Recovery Girl.

Izuku crossed the bridge.

"We're running out of brain here. Ah, there's one that looks mostly intact. Connecting now" Recovery Girl said.

Izuku entered the next memory, this one he recognized. Bakugo was wearing the outfit Izuku originally saw him in, and he had two Institute scientists with him in familiar looking hazmat suits. Izuku was in the cryopod room of Vault 111... the memory where Ochako died.

"Not this again" whispered Izuku.

"Manual override initiated. Cryogenic sequence suspended" said the vault computer system.

Izuku rushed down the hallway to the pod Ochako and Toshi were in. She looked as beautiful as the day he lost her. He turned around and saw himself in his pod, as well.

"Vault computers are still working. That's good. Checking through the logs. Hopefully it's all-" said a male Institute scientists who was in a hazmat suit.

"Just... find it" said Bakugo.

"Pod C6. Down the hall near the end" said the scientist.

Izuku interacted with one of the scientists.

"The eggheads never liked taking orders from a dirty, contaminated degenerate like me. But they needed me, and I made sure they knew it" narrated Bakugo.

Bakugo and the female Institute scientist began walking down the hall towards Ochako and Toshi's pod. Izuku interacted with Bakugo next.

"I was now the Institute's main operator in the Commonwealth. If they needed something done, they came to me. It wasn't usual for anybody from the Institute to come along on a mission. So this one stood out. I didn't know then who it was we were grabbing from the vault. Of course, neither did they. Not really" narrated Bakugo.

Izuku then interacted with one of his neighbors who was inside a cryopod.

"I never knew why we didn't just refreeze the rest of them, but we had our orders. I guess the old man didn't want so many lose ends. Too bad he left alive the one person he shouldn't have" Bakugo narrated.

Bakugo and the female Institute scientist then reached the pod with Ochako and Toshi in it. Bakugo pulled out his revolver.

"This is the one. Here" said the woman.

"Open it" Bakugo said.

The woman opened the pod and Ochako began coughing and Toshi began crying.

"Is it over? Are we ok?" Ochako asked.

Izuku then interacted with Ochako and Toshi.

"I'm glad I didn't have to kill the kid. I'm not saying I haven't done it, but, uh, never liked to. And yeah, I guess it did remind me of... her. Yeah, I'm a cold-hearted bastard for sure, but, uh... I'm still human. Better this way, though. Better than taking her kid and leaving her alive" Bakugo narrated.

"I KILLED KIDS IN THIS UNIVERSE?!" Bakugo shouted.

"You did in other universes, too. Remember who you were in the Star Wars universe?" Luke said.

"Almost. Everything's going to be fine" Bakugo said.

The Institute scientist then tried to take Toshi.

"Come here. Come here, baby" said the scientist.

"No, wait. No, no, I've got him!" said Ochako as she refused to let go of her child.

"Let the boy go. I'm only gonna tell you once" said Bakugo as he pointed his revolver at her.

"I'm not giving you Toshi!" Ochako screamed.

And then... the scene played out just as Izuku remembered.

"This is the second time now we've watched Uraraka die in this universe! It's horrible!" said Iida.

"Goddamnit! Get the kid out of here, and let's go" said Bakugo before walking over to Izuku's pod.

He looked at Izuku, who stared back at him with hatred in his eyes.

"At least we still have the backup" Bakugo said.

Izuku interacted with himself next.

"Even then, I knew it was a mistake leaving him alive. I understood that kind of revenge, no one better. But I was cocky enough to assume I could handle some some prewar vault dweller, even if he somehow got thawed out. Least I know those Institute bastards will soon get what's coming to them, too. If he could take me out, they won't be able to hide from him for long" Bakugo narrated.

"Midoriya's gonna fuck those Institute bastards up good" said Kaminari.

"Cryogenic stasis reinitialized" the vault computer system said as Izuku was refrozen.

Bakugo and the woman who was holding Toshi walked back to the male Institute scientist using the computer.

"What's the holdup?" Bakugo asked.

"I'm almost finished, Bakugo. I just need to confirm... alright. We're good" said the male Institute scientist.

The memory ended and Izuku watched as Toshi faded away.

"I'm, uh... I'm sorry you had to go through that again. I've found another intact memory. Whenever you're ready" said Recovery Girl.

Izuku crossed the neuron bridge which lead to the final memory. It was Bakugo in his house in Diamond City, but there was someone else with him... a ten-year-old boy who looked identical to Izuku, except he had brown hair.

"Is that your son? This appears to be a very recent memory, so... good news, I think" said Recovery Girl.

Izuku put his hands over his mouth, then interacted with Toshi. The boy was wearing a black and white striped shirt, jeans, and sneakers. He was sitting on the floor while looking at some old pre/war comics and magazines.

"Wasn't my idea to settle down with the kid in the middle of Diamond City. I thought it was a terrible idea, actually. But it was one of the old man's pet projects, so here we were. Me and the kid... like a happy little family. I ended up kinda liking it. A reminder of what my life might have been if things had... turned out differently. But there's no going back. I knew it was just temporary, and it would be back to normal business before too long" narrated Bakugo.

Izuku then interacted with Bakugo, who was sitting in a chair while polishing his revolver.

"This whole setup in Diamond City was part of some elaborate plan of the old man's. Seems obvious that we were bait for our friend from the vault. The timing couldn't have been an accident. That's now how the old man works. I wonder if he outsmarted me in the end? Another loose end tied up?" Bakugo narrated.

"Wait. The Institute are just using Bakugo and Toshi to lure Deku into a trap?!" said Ochako.

"You'll have to watch and see" said Luke.

After a few moments, an adult Shinso entered the room. He was wearing a black, futuristic looking leather jacket and a pair of aviator sunglasses.

"Bakugo" Shinso said.

"It's ok" Bakugo reassured Toshi.

Izuku interacted with Shinso next.

"The new breed of synths could easily pass as human. Some of them did. But the coursers - they weren't built to blend in. They were killing machines, pure and simple. Smarter, stronger, and faster than almost any real human. I'm just glad they were always on my side" Bakugo narrated.

"I'm a synth in this?" asked Shinso.

"That's what Bakugo said. Your a courser" said Luke.

"One of these days you're gonna get your head blown off, just barging in here here like that" said Bakugo.

"Minimizing my exposure to civilians is a priority" said Shinso.

"Forget I said anything" said Bakugo as he got up from his seat.

"So what's the big crisis this time?" Bakugo asked.

"New orders for you. One of our scientists has left the Institute" Shinso said.

"Left as in...?" Bakugo said.

"He's gone rogue. Name's Dr. Jurota Shishida. We know he's hiding somewhere in the Glowing Sea. Here's his file" said Shinso as he pulled out a file.

"I was with the Institute? Shit" said Shishida.

"Wow. Some heads are gonna roll for this" said Bakugo as he took the file and read it.

"Capture and return or just elimination?" Bakugo asked.

"Elimination. He was working on a highly classified program" said Shinso.

"No kidding. One of the top Bioscience boys? Damn. So... I guess you're taking the kid back with you" said Bakugo.

"Affirmative. Your only mission is to locate and eliminate Shishida" said Shinso.

"You're taking me home to my father?" Toshi asked.

"Yes. Stand next to me and hold still" said Shinso.

"Ok" said Toshi as he got up from the floor.

"What's Toshi talking about? I'm his father" said Izuku.

Toshi walked over to Shinso and they both stood next to each other.

"X6-88, ready to relay with Toshinori" said Shinso.

"Bye, Mr. Bakugo! I hope I see you again soon!" said Toshi.

Suddenly, there were two bright flashes of blue light, and Shinso and Toshi were teleported away.

"Bye" said Bakugo with a sad look on his face before the memory ended.

"Teleportation. Now it all makes sense. Nobody's found the entrance to the Institute because there IS no entrance. Let me pull you out of there. As soon as you're ready" Recovery Girl.

"I will give the Institute this. Their technology is pretty impressive if they were able to create human like robots and teleportation technology" said Melissa.

The tv that was in the room turned on, displaying the 'PLEASE STAND BY' screen, and Izuku interacted with it. The song 'It's All Over but the Crying' by the Ink Spots was also playing.

Izuku then woke from the memory pod and got out of it.

"Slow movements, ok? I don't know what kind of side effects the procedure might have had. No one's ever... done this before. How do you feel?" asked Recovery Girl.

"I'm ok, doctor. Thank you" said Izuku.

"That's good, but I want you to keep monitoring yourself. We have to be sure there's no long-term damage. Are you... ready to talk about what happened in there?" Recovery Girl asked.

"I saw Bakugo's life. The man who ruined my family... The man I killed" said Izuku.

"That's right. He was a human being just like the rest of us, and he had reasons for being what he was, however cruel. How does that... make you feel?" asked Recovery Girl.

Izuku pondered this for a few moments. Bakugo was very much like him. He had a family that was taken from him, and he killed the people responsible in revenge, very much like how Izuku killed Bakugo in revenge.

"I... I'm not sure, doctor" said Izuku.

"I don't know if there's any 'right' way to feel, either. We're getting off-track. The important thing is that we discovered the Institute's greatest secret. Teleportation. The only question is, what do we do now?" asked Recovery Girl.

"That scientist Bakugo was supposed to track down. Shishida. We need to find him" said Izuku.

"You're right. A rogue Institute scientist could answer all kinds of questions. Where did the memory say he was? The Glowing Sea? That doesn't make sense. No one goes there. Not even if they were desperate" said Recovery Girl.

"The Glowing Sea is a heavily irradiated part of the Commonwealth where the nuclear explosion you saw at the start of this universe happened" said Luke.

"That's why he's there. To make the Institute think twice about following him" said Izuku.

"That must be it! He's using the radiation in the Glowing Sea like a shield or a cloak, a way to throw them off and be at an advantage. If Shishida found a way to survive there, you'll have to do the same, if you're going to follow him" said Recovery Girl.

"How do I fight that much radiation, doctor?" Izuku asked.

"There are chemical compounds. Rad-X, RadAway. You'd need as much as you can carry. Maybe more. A sealed environment suit would be great, if you could find one. Or maybe one of those suits of Power Armor? That would be perfect" said Recovery Girl.

"I'll find a way to get through the rads. Don't worry" said Izuku.

"Good luck, and... be safe. By the way, I unplugged Mr. Todoroki first. Removed the implant while you were waking up. He's waiting for you upstairs" said Recovery Girl.

After that, Izuku grabbed some Rad-X, RadAway, a magazine that came with a holotape game, and some other supplies off some tables in the room, then headed upstairs to see Todoroki sitting on a couch. Izuku walked over to him.

"Hey, Todoroki" said Izuku.

"Hope you got what you were looking for inside my head. Heh. I was right. I should've killed you when you were on ice" said Todoroki in a voice that sound exactly like Bakugo's.

"Oh, shit" said Kirishima.

Izuku's eyes widened.

"Bakugo? Is that you?" Izuku asked.

"What? What are you talking about?" Todoroki asked, this time in his actual voice.

"You sounded like Bakugo just then" said Izuku with a worried expression on his face.

"Did I? Shuzenji said there might be some 'mnemonic impressions' left over. Anyway, I feel fine, so let's get going" said Todoroki.

"We have to head into the Glowing Sea. Any advice?" Izuku asked.

"Hmm... I'm a synth, so radiation isn't much of an issue for me, but an old suit of Power Armor might just be the guardian angel you're looking for. That, or you could buy all the Rad-X and RadAway you can find from any chem dealer who's got it in stock" said Todoroki.

"Let's get going, Shoto" said Izuku.

"Been one heck of a ride so far. Let's see where it takes us next" said Todoroki.

After they left the Memory Den, Izuku and Todoroki saw Sero standing on a balcony of the Old State House.

"Hey, everyone! Gather 'round! Let's kick the breeze back, shoot the fat" said Sero as citizens of Goodneighbor all below the balcony and looked up at Sero.

"Now, I know you all are doing your own thing. But I don't want anyone here to forget what matters" said Sero before he noticed a female ghoul in the crowd.

"Hey, Daisy, glad you could make it. How's my favorite girl doing? Didn't I see you on a date with Marowski the other day?" Sero joked.

"Ha! He wishes!" said the ghoul named Daisy.

Many people laughed.

"Alright, alright. We're getting off track. What was I saying? Oh, that's right! What matters. We freaks gotta stick together! And the best way to stick together is to keep an eye out for what drives us apart, you feel me?" said Sero.

"Yeah, you tell it like it is, Hancock!" said one of the neighborhood watch.

"Now what out there in our big, friendly Commonwealth would want to drive us apart? What kind of twisted, un-neighborly boogeyman would want to hurt our peaceful community?" asked Sero.

"Yeah, the Institute and their synths!" said the guy from Diamond City, Bunker Hill, and the Memory Den.

"I'm seriously starting to think that guys is following Midoriya" said Jiro.

"That's right! Who said that? Come on up to my office, later. You've earned yourself some Jet" Sero said to the man.

"The Institute! They're the real enemy! Not the raiders, not the super mutants, not even those tools over in Diamond City" said Sero.

"I don't know, Hancock. I'd sure love to give Sero a kick in the ass!" said a neighborhood watchman.

"Hey, we all know I got my own personal beef with that lard-head, but stay focused. Now, I want everyone to keep the Institute in mind. When someone starts acting funny. When people are doing things they don't normally do. When family starts pushing you away for no reason. We all know who's behind that kind of shit. And the only way to stop it is to stick together. They can't control us if we're not afraid!" said Sero.

"Now, who's scared of the Institute?" Sero asked.

"Not us!" said the people of Goodneighbor.

"And which town in the Commonwealth should the Institute not fuck with?" Sero asked.

"Goodneighbor!" said the people.

"And who's in charge of Goodneighbor?" asked Sero.

"Hancock! Of the people! For the people!" shouted the people.

Izuku and Todoroki were impressed with how Sero and the people here in Goodneighbor weren't afraid of the Institute. Izuku then walked over to the man he saw in Diamond City, Bunker Hill, and now here.

"Hey" said the man.

"Hey" said Izuku suspiciously.

"What's up?" asked the man.

"Nothing, really" said Izuku, still suspicious.

"What a day, huh?" the man asked.

"Uhhhh-huh" said Izuku.

"Everyone's welcome in Goodneighbor. Even me!" said the man.

"Seems so" said Izuku.

"Don't you have, like, important things to do?" asked the man.

"Yes. Yes, I do" said Izuku.

"Nothing more to say" said the man.

"Apparently" said Izuku, still a bit suspicious.

Izuku and Todoroki then decided to crash in Goodneighbor for the night. They went to a hotel called 'Hotel Rexford' and rented a room. When they went up to the floor where their room was, they bumped into a ghoul who was wearing clothes that looked strangely familiar to Izuku.

"What?! No, it can't, it- i- i- it's YOU! From Sanctuary Hills, right?" asked the ghoul.

"Is that who I think it is?" Izuku asked.

"Wait. Are you from Vault-Tec?" Izuku asked.

"I AM Vault-Tec! Twenty years of loyal service and now look at me. I wasn't on the list" said the ghoul, now revealed to be the Vault-Tec Rep from the beginning of this universe.

"But you. Look at you. 200 years and you're still perfect! How? How's that possible?!" said the Rep.

"You don't know? They didn't tell you?" Izuku asked.

"Tell me what? What is it? How did you get through these last 200 years untouched?" the Rep asked.

"The vault had these pods that froze us in place. I only thawed out recently" Izuku answered.

"What? Vault-Tec never told me that! Unbelievable. Well, I had to get to the future the hard way. Living through the... filth! The... decay! The bloodshed! Look at me. I'm a ghoul. A freak" said the Rep.

"Are there any other ghouls out there? From before?" Izuku asked.

"You mean crazy Kent and 'nothing bothers me' Daisy? Yeah, there's a couple of us. But no one from the neighborhood. No one from Vault-Tec. They just... left me there" said the Rep.

"Vault-Tec are absolute scum" said Bakugo.

"They are" said Luke.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't know this would happen" said Izuku.

"You know, you're the only other person I met from... before. I... uh... I... Oh, god. I've been so alone here. No Commonwealth settlement wants a ghoul with 200 years of Vault-Tec sales experience" said the Rep.

Izuku then got an idea.

"Hey, you know you could head back to Sanctuary. I'll come visit. I promise" said Izuku.

"Really? You... you will? Ok. I'll head over there right now. You... promise you'll come visit, right? I'll see you there!" said the Rep.

Seeing the Rep happy again put a smile on both Izuku's and Todoroki's faces.

After that, Izuku and Todoroki went to their room. Izuku got in bed and went to sleep. Todoroki, seeing as how he didn't need sleep, sat in a chair and smoked a cigarette.

The screen went black.

"More to come" said Luke.

Phew! Good thing I posted something Fallout related while it's still the month of Fallout's birthday. Thx for reading.